Ok now I'll open another can of worms, but here goes based on my thirty four years of meat cutting and eating venison . There are a large number of hunters that based on tradition believe that venison has to be aged to tenderize the meat. When looking at that opinion let's consider that 100 years ago there were many less farms, many less roads,and nobody fed or baited deer because they needed the food for themselves. The weather was substantially colder and hunters may have been miles or perhaps days from their homes. So all this contributed to the traditions that many still cling to today even though todays deer, venison, and hunting have no resemblance to 100 years ago. 1) Most of todays deer eat as well as domestic farm animals. Here in Michigan you can readily buy corn, apples, sugar beets, pumpkins, cabbage, and carrots specifically intended for deer feed! Not allowed in your state? Then just look at the acres of excellent rye, clover, timothy and other grasses growing along the roads throughout your state. Even these are potential food plots for deer. Then consider the farms, gardens, golf courses, and landscaping that attract deer even in urban areas. Anyway you look at it, todays deer are better fed than ever before in history. This in itself leads to a better tasting and more tender meat. 2) Todays deer not longer have to cover long distances to forage and browse. They can go from bait pile to bait pile, garden to garden, or farm to farm. No longer do they toughen their muscles wandering around searching for adequate nutrition. In fact in many areas hunters are complaining that deer have become nocturnal as they have no need to travel during the day searching for food. This fact also leads to a more tender meat. 3) Global Warming, whether it is a long term fact or not, is evident during the deer seasons of today. As recently as the 60's, when I started hunting, temperatures during deer season seldom if ever broke the freezing mark. Today just the oposite seems to be true, with temperatures hitting as high as the 50's, 60's and even 70's in the last decade. When a deer was hung in a tree 100 years ago there was a good chance that it would remain frozen solid until spring, and in reality didn't really "age" at all! My point on this is, in my opinion aging of todays venison is not necessary and in many cases ends up with spoiled meat. Now as to the theory behind aging: Consider that meat (Like the human body) is comprised mostly of water. When you harvest a deer, from the moment it dies the moisture starts to purge or evaporate from the cells of the meat. After a point of a few days the meat has lost most of it's moisture, the muscles have contracted, and it has become tougher. Now what do you do? The answer was to let it continue to hang until bacteria and enzymes in the meat start to break down the cells and in turn "tenderize" the meat. This worked well in the meat industry for beef because they were able to accomplish it under controlled conditions: meat coolers that maintained consistent temperature and a high humidity levels. The problem with the tree in the back yard is that the temperatures and humidity outside are far from consistent. Therefore when aging outside you can run the gamut of frozen venison in the far north to rotten venison in a warm season or the south. The
bottom line in my opinion is
that todays deer are not inherently tough as our ancestors encountered
and therefore do not have to be aged. If however a deer cannot be processed
within 48 hours, and/or would need to be aged, it can only be done properly
in a controlled atmosphere of a commercial cooler maintained between 30 -35
degrees. (Vension does not freeze until 28 degrees or less.) No
one was "pulling your leg". they were just vocalizing the beliefs that they
were handed down.
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